The aftermath of the expulsion of Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson

Scandals and protests have overtaken the state of Tennessee in the last few months, leaving a political landscape that is more divided than ever.

As of Wednesday, April 12, both Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were appointed back to their seats by their respective district councils. Their expulsions were an attempt to silence their protests against the legislative body that upheld lax gun restrictions.

The Republican supermajority expected the stripping of their seats to diminish their influence, but that plan has backfired on them. 

Justin Pearson recently published an article through CNN where he seems more enraged and passionate than ever. Pearson argues that the, “Condescension and barely-veiled racism heaped on Justin Jones and me, and on the communities we represent, were on full display.”

The only member of the Tennessee Three to survive expulsion was Rep. Gloria Johnson, a white woman. Johnson herself believes that her survival is due to her race, directing another accusation of racism towards the Tennessee Republican party. 

In a recently leaked video that occurred after the vote, Republican representatives called out some of their fellow party members for not voting out Gloria Johnson. They also called out their constituents for not siding with the supermajority. Rep. Scott Cepicky said that they are “at war, for our republic,” and by not voting with them, they are letting the Democrats win.

Rep. William Lamberth stated, “You gotta do what’s right, even if you think it might be wrong,” which conveys the blatant and undemocratic practice of voting strictly across party lines. These representatives are taking claim of their Republican constituents as if they own their vote. They expect them not to represent their districts or the state of Tennessee, but the platform of the Republican party.

Relationships between the two parties are worse than ever. Democrats are continually working harder to mobilize young voters and rid Republicans of their pejorative supermajority.